Help Jenny Get Her Life Back

Jenny has passed away. The fundraiser will continue for awhile while we pay down the leftover bills and get the family back on track financially and emotionally. Jenny was a very brave woman that fought for every second here with her family. You can be sure she would very grateful for any help you provide to get the family functioning again and pay for funeral expenses. Thank you so much more than I could ever express. Thank you

Help
Jenny Get Her Life Back – help keep Jenny in the loving care of her
family.

Jenny's
Story

Jenny
is a
very loved, happy, strong and courageous person, mother and wife, who
has been fighting a battle with a rare form of benign brain and
spinal tumors for almost 20 years.

Around
20 years ago Jenny began experiencing problems that were very
alarming.

Headaches,
flashes of light and nausea were frightening and called for swift
action and surgery to save her life.

She
was found to have brain and spinal tumors.

At
the time, no one really could identify them as they were so rare and
it took quite awhile just to figure out what she had.

After
6 Weeks of being told the tumors were cancerous, the news came back,
the tumors were benign Choroid plexus papilloma tumors but still very
dangerous and had spread in an aggressive manner.

Choroid
plexus papilloma tumors are
rare, and very dangerous benign tumors arising from the lining of the
spinal canal and the membranes that line the inside of the brain and
produce spinal fluid.

The
first surgeries were for a tumor in her cerebellum that was causing
tremendous pressure on her brain and endangering her eyesight and a
week later for 3 spinal tumors that needed to be surgically removed
to prevent paralysis, interference with nerve signals and pain from
pressure on the nerves. One tumor in her lower back was found to be
inoperable because it was impossible to get out without serious nerve
damage.

The
cerebellum coordinates voluntary movements such as posture, balance,
coordination, and speech. The tumor was causing the tremendous
pressure in her brain.

The
surgeries were successful, Jenny's recovery was painful and we were
told they were cancerous and that she would be having chemotherapy.
After 6 weeks of fearing the worst, the tumors were found to be
benign. We opted out of radiation treatments and chemotherapy and she
was monitored for 3 years with no sign of the return of any tumor.

After
6 weeks of fearing the worst, the tumors were found to be benign. We
opted out of radiation treatments and chemotherapy and she was
monitored for 3 years with no sign of the return of any tumor.

For
the next 16 years, she lived free of symptoms and was happy and
pain-free.

Then,
four, almost 5 years ago she began stumbling, falling down and
experiencing drop foot, a condition where the right foot would not
point upward and she was dragging her leg and foot.

The
falls caused extensive spinal deterioration and her spine was
collapsing in on tumors we had no idea were there.

Her
legs were showing signs of distress and nerve damage, very severe
back pain and she had to start using walking aids to get around.

While
sitting on a heating pad for hours to relieve her back pain after
work,

she
developed what is called a pressure sore from not being able to feel
it was burning her.

We
had no idea what a pressure sore was, how dangerous a pressure sore
could be and how fast they can turn into a life-threatening situation
because of infection. Hindsight is 20/20 and the pressure sore should
have been healed up before any surgeries were done.

After
an emergency MRI, radiologists discovered the tumors in her brain and
spine that we thought were gone forever were back with a
vengeance and about to change Jennys life forever.

After
going back to her original neurosurgeon the only options that were
given was a shunt and radiation, which have serious side effects

Jenny
had surgery Oct 2012 to remove most of the spinal tumors. The
inoperable tumor was still there and still inoperable. The brain
tumors were left since they are not causing symptoms or problems.

She
had a rough go of it and things went wrong.

Complications
from spinal surgery and a massive infection (from a pressure sore
caused by sitting on a heating pad to relieve pain before surgery),
led to severe nerve damage and paralysis in both legs.

This
put her in bed for the last 4+ years in massive amounts of pain from
scarring, nerve damage and the inoperable tumor pushing on the nerves
in her spine. The pain has been resolved now but she is still bed
bound.

The
surgery to repair the damage done from the infection is called a flap
surgery.A vascular surgeon cleaned out the wound and left a hole
the size of a football. She was on a wound vac for two weeks and then
had her flap surgery.

Extremely
weak because of extreme nausea and weight loss, Jenny came home to a
very bad situation. An Inexperienced family of caregivers and a
very poor nursing service. Which we dropped. She was on
a clinitron bed which floated her on sand with
air blowing through it.Changing dressings and daily care was very
challenging.

Slow
healing of the flap surgery sent Jenny to the ER where we received a
referral to the wound care center at St Joesph Hospital.

This
was our first glimpse of true professionalism and real care since
Jenny was sent home.58
round trips by ambulance for hyperbaric treatments and as I recall 12
trips by ambulance to see the wound care doctor.

The
bills were piling up and very large.

Two
years of learning the hard way how to take care of Jenny with very
little help.

Months
of very expensive in home Physical therapy and occupational
therapy did
some good and we met some of the most caring people we have ever
known.

But
it was still not enough. The extreme pain stopped Jenny's progress.

She
has required caregivers, her husband Roy Barnett and children Amber
and Chris Barnett mostly, to be present 24/7 for the last four+
years. With almost no care giving help for the first two years.

Jenny
has had physical therapy and occupational therapy from the finest
therapists available.She has made progress, but the pain from the
inoperable tumor has hindered that progress tremendously.

An
attempt at a solution to the most of the pain that has been bringing
her progress to a stop has been carried out.

But
it did not help, in fact, she experience agonizing muscle spasms
from the procedure.

Jenny
underwent a radio frequency denervation procedure to calm
the pain from the pressure on the nerves.

This
was hoped to enable Jenny to pursue what she needed to do to become
as capable as possible and get her life back but, in fact, caused far
more problems with muscle spasms causing big pain for her. She was
prescribed strong pain relievers to manage the pain.

These
made her so drugged and confused that she had to stop her physical
therapy.

Jenny
started experiencing seizures a few months after that from pressure
on her brain from the tumors and build up of fluid.

A
shunt was placed to drain off fluid from her brain and it worked
quite well for around 5 months or so. In fact it solved the
pain that she was experiencing. Gone.

Jenny
experienced multiple urinary tract infections because she has a
indwelling catheter and was admitted to the hospital 6 times.

One
of the times she was sent home with an IV. She was on the IV for 6
days.

It
turned out that the antibiotics they sent her home with were the
wrong prescription and it had horrible side effects. Hallucinations
put her back in the hospital.

The
result was a bad case of toxic encephalitis. A very serious condition
that can cause severe brain damage and death.

This
was counted as human error. That error caused more damage to Jenny's
already compromised brain.

Not
long after that we thought Jenny had another UTI because
she was just not acting right. A sample was taken and sent to the
lab.

We
went into the ER after the culture came back positive again
for a antibiotic resistant super bug. Only one antibiotic
can touch it and that was just to keep it under control.

While
we were in the ER they did another cat scan to see if her shunt was
working properly and it was not. Surgery was scheduled to replace the
malfunctioning shunt.

Jenny's
thinking was pretty good at this point. She had her surgery and the
Doctor said it went well. I (Roy) called it a night and went home
thinking she was out of danger.

The
next day she could hardly speak and was very weak. When questioned
what went wrong the doctors and medical personnel said that sometimes
those things just happen. It could have been the anesthetic. They
said she would either come out of it or not. She did not come out of
it as we had hoped.

Jenny
has not been able to talk and is very weak to this moment that I am
writing this 5 months later. She is a valiant fighter and is still
here. Hospice only covers so much and she needs 24/7 care therapy
and careful nutrition.

The
long battle and the tumors have taken their toll. Jenny is now on
hospice. She is still alive, has a smile for her family and is
hanging on like the valiant fighter that she is and always was.

Her
husband Roy has been a 24/7 caregiver to Jenny with much-needed help
from their children.

Roy
has not been able to go to work because Jenny has
needed his help, the financial expenses from medical bills, insurance
costs, deductibles, and co-pays have been left the family financially
devastated. , along with the costs of daily living that continue on.

Jenny
is on Hospice now but the bills that have piled up still need to be
paid. Jenny needs her family to make her smile and let her know she
is loved very, very much. That takes 24/7 care that is unending and
unpaid.

With
recent unforseen financial burdens the fundraiser money has been
depleted and the situation is very stressful.

Hospice
is paid for by Medicare, but the past bills have taken their toll on
the situation and is now critical.

So
what is needed is the ability to cover the basics, pay down bills ,
food and supplies, car upkeep and other needs that everyone has.

We
are entitled to respite care but, at this moment funds are depleted
and time off is just spent worrying that Jenny will be ok being away
from the family. That is just more stess.

Roy
is still a unpaid caregiver for Jenny there is no income
except for Jenny's Social Security Disability payments.

Christopher,
our son is still helping out and watching out for his mom and so he
is not able to work. Jenny is a 24/7 job and Chris is very much
needed to help out.

We
would like to do much more for Jenny and keep everyone fed and
clothed with opportunity to take much needed breaks
and keep the stress of being caregiver under control.

Expenses
for a person with paraplegia are enormous, according to the
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, paralysis resource center,
average $66,106 a year.

To
keep the family from financial hardship and disaster it will take
much more than what hospice and Jenny's disability provides.

The
goal for this fundraiser was originally $20,154. To cover
Jenny's major expenses for one year and pay off her medical bills for
her care.

The
situation has lasted much longer than was ever thought of or
expected. Going on 5 years at this point.

Jenny's
medical condition has taken a huge emotional and physical toll on the
whole family.

The
need for care does not stop, the expenses are ongoing and we have
decided to extend the fundraiser out for yet another 12 months to
care for Jenny.

We
had no idea that Jenny would be bed-bound for this long. It has been
a very long journey.

In
Sept of 2014, her husband Roy and their daughter were in a rear
end collision and another in Sept 2015, just as they were really
very close to finishing treatment for the first whiplash.

Severe
whiplash has put both of them in pain which makes it very hard to
give Jenny the full attention she needs.

The
Small settlements are being used for ongoing pain management and
treatments so we can take care of Jenny.

The
challenges of paralysis and major illness are overwhelming for
anyone and Jenny has exhibited a tremendous amount of courage through
this whole battle.

Jenny's
disease has progressed and she needs much more help to stay as happy
as possible for the little time she has left.

Her
life and her families lives have been put on hold. For how long we
don't know.

The
success of this fundraiser through your generous gifts will help this
whole family with the ongoing financial and emotional challenges that
come with a complex situation like Jenny'sYou
can help.

We
need good people to step up and help.

Your
generosity can be the means to overcome the financial burdens and
keep the family able to care for Jenny.

How
much you help is up to you, there is great power in numbers.

Thank
you so much!

Please
click the Donate Now button here
on this page follow the easy steps to donate to help Jenny get her
life back.

I
know not everyone is comfortable with giving money over the
internet.

You
can also

Mail
a check or money order to our house made out to:

Roy
Barnett ( Jenny's Husband)

11016
8th Ave Ct S

Tacoma
Wash 98444

Thank
you so much from Jenny and her family.

Please
help us get the word out

by
sharing Jenny's fundraising page on your Facebook page, website, by
email or any other way you feel comfortable with.

Here
is the link to share.

https://www.youcaring.com/help-Jenny-get-her-life-back

Thank
you so much,

Jenny's
Family

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Please, click the Donate Now button here on this page follow the easy steps to donate to help Jenny get her life back.

I know not everyone is comfortable with giving money over the internet.

You can also

Mail a check or money order to our house made out to:

Roy Barnett ( Jenny's Husband)

11016 8th Ave Ct S

Tacoma Wash 98444

Thank you so much.

Jenny and her family.

NOTE: With your donation, the contribution to youcaring.com is OPTIONAL, you can edit the amount to $0 if you wish to.